I Wish I Had Met You Sooner
by BurningFlamesPassion
Summary: It is a little story on Vice and Tea. Quite OOC but nice to read. Will be full of fluff as well! ViceXTea pairing.
1. Lunch Date

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Strikers. Though I wished luh… Well, it contains one little bit of spoiler in it. However, I need to use it to make this story work.

Tea, Subaru, Caro and Erio were all training as usual, doing a mock battle with Nanoha and Vita. Vice was watching from afar, but close enough for the trainees to see him. Watching the four grow together and get better at their skills was actually quite heart-warming. It is as if, they are a family, sharing pains and joy.

However, to him, Tea was the one who grew the most. At first, she wasn't really synchronized with the rest of the group. She always wanted to do things her way – stubborn in other words.

The mock battle is about to be over, thought Vice. Tea and Caro had put up an illusion to make it seem that they were going to attack Nanoha and Vita from afar. Both of the trainers had their guard down. A blast of blue light and the battle was over. The trainees won.

"Okay all," announced Nanoha. "That was a great battle."

"That's it for today," interjected Vita. "We shall continue tomorrow. For now, you have the rest of the afternoon to yourselves."

"Enjoy!" Chimed Fate.

"Yeah! Great timing! I'm hungry!" exclaimed the overly exhausted Subaru.

"Yeah. Me too. How 'bout you, Caro?" said Erio.

Caro nodded her head. When she turned to look at Tea, she saw Vice coming up to them.

"Vice-kun!" She exclaimed waving her hand at him. "How did we do just now?"

"You were all spectacular, Caro." He said while kneeling down to ruffle her hair. Caro giggled at his gesture. Vice did the same to Erio as well. After doing so, he stood up and faced Tea.

"You did great, Tea." Vice complemented with a smile.

Tea turned pink at his comment and thanked him quickly. Subaru was already poking and prodding Tea with her elbow and giving her the "eyebrow" gesture while smiling sheepishly at her. Tea turned a darker shade of pink, close to red.

"Ano, Tea?" asked Vice.

"H- hai?" Stuttered Tea.

"Care to join me for lunch?"

Tea was about to turn his offer down politely when Subaru butted in, "Sure she would! She'll see you in 45 minutes!"

Tea was about to protest when Vice said, "Okay then. Meet me at the hangar okay?"

All tea could do was nod.

**

* * *

**

"Subaru, you know I hate it when you try to control my life." Stated Tea.

"Yea, I know. But it's fun! Hurry up Tea! You only have 15 minutes left!"

Tea was still in her underwear looking through her wardrobe. She had taken her bath 20 minutes ago and since then, she had been staring at her wardrobe. She had no idea what to wear.

Suddenly, she saw a blur of blue and then darkness. Subaru had just thrown a spaghetti strap dress at her face. It was light yellow in colour that reached the top of her knees with flower prints at the bottom.

She looked at Subaru with one of her eyebrows cocked. Subaru just smiled. Tea sighed and shook her head.

10 minutes later, she was ready. However, in those 10 short minutes, a war broke out between her and Subaru, over whether or not she should tie her hair. In the end, Tea gave in. She quickly put on a pair of nearest boots that she could reach and zipped of to the hangar to meet Vice for lunch.

**

* * *

**

Vice waited patiently for Tea to arrive. His watch showed 12.43 pm. She had another two minutes until she was deemed late. Just as he put his hand down, he saw Tea walking towards him.

"Am I late?" she asked.

"No. On time actually."

Vice looked at her from the top of her head to her toes. _Nice._

Tea blushed when she noticed that Vice was checking her out.

"Shall we go?" asked Vice.

Tea just nodded her head in response. Vice led her to his motor bike and gave her a helmet. When she sat on it, he said, "Hang on." And off they zoomed. Soon, they reached a tea house on the outskirts of Midchilda. He led tea to a table near the view of the sea. The waiter came and they ordered sweet tea and assorted cakes. While waiting for their order to arrive, they had a chat.

"You know, I checked your files. You were once a sniper, weren't you?" Tea asked. "I'm sorry to have prodded into your private life, but I want to know what happened until you became a pilot."

Vice was taken aback. He looked down to his feet._ Should I tell her? But this was the thing of the past. And I thought that file was deleted a long time ago._

Then, their order of tea and cakes came. Vice paid for it. "Tea, I don't know where to start."

"If you don't want to tell me, it's okay." Said Tea a little bit disappointed. She picked up her cup of sweet tea and took a little sip.

"A few years back, an accident when I went on a mission to shoot down a robber."

Tea was all ears while eating.

"I was sure that I had targeted that guy. He had a hostage in hand. A child. I had him in my sights. I pulled the trigger. And… instead of the shot hitting that guy, it hit the child. She died instantly."

Tea couldn't believe what she had heard. All she could do then was stay silent. She didn't know what else to say. Their lunch together was silent all the way until they reached the hangar.

"Vice, I'm sorry.I Shouldn't have asked..."

"It's alright. I knew someone would ask me one day. I just didn't expect it to be you." Said Vice. "But then again, talking about it made me feel better. I feel so much lighter. Thank you. We should do this more often." After he said that, he gave Tea a peck on her cheek.

Tea gasped and turned beet red. So did Vice. He had no idea why he did that. _That was freaky. Why did I kiss her?? Great, now she won't talk to me **ever!**_ He mentally slapped himself.

Tea then did something quite unexpected. She returned that kiss and said a hasty goodbye and thank you and ran off leaving him standing there like a statue.

Well! That was long! Well, I hope you enjoyed it. I will continue on this story soon. So, till I see you people the next time! Review please!


	2. You want me to what!

Author: Ha-ha! I couldn't help but write the second chapter already!! Well, that's because I am practicing to write a narrative for my English exam this coming October. Also, I hope to use a wide range of vocabulary. So, here goes nothing!

* * *

Tea ran all the way to her dorm room while the memory of her returning Vice's kiss ran over and over again in her mind. I hope I didn't scare him.

Soon, she reached her dorm that she shares with Subaru. She was panting heavily and leaning on the table. Subaru appeared in front of her and smiled sheepishly and looked at Tea closely.

"So, did anything interesting happen?" she enquired her panting friend.

Tea blushed slightly. She nodded and took a deep breath before telling Subaru everything – well, nearly everything. She skipped the part where Vice had a miss-shot. Subaru's mouth dropped to the floor and her eyes were as wide as saucers. She couldn't believe that her conservative friend – ever since she lost her brother – actually did such a gesture to a man! Much less Vice!

Tea helped Subaru close her gaping mouth and said casually that it was just to thank him for taking her out to lunch. Deep in her heart, she secretly wished that it would happen again. What in the world! No! Vice is my superior! I couldn't and shouldn't have any feelings towards him!

**Vice's POV**

Well, she certainly darted off like a bullet. I wonder why she returned that kiss I gave her. Heck, I didn't even know how that happened! Well, she certainly looked cute in that dress with her hair down. Wait! What am I thinking! I shouldn't be looking at her in that way. I mean, she's my colleague and a friend. Furthermore, I think Nanoha-chan would certainly reprimand me if she found out that I like her.

Like her? _**No way.**_

Then, Stormraider spoke, "I think you shouldn't deny your feelings for her."

"What? Look, I do not like her in_ that_ way." He replied. _I think._

"Up to you, then." Said Stormraider.

**Normal POV**

Tea was wearing her normal training gear. She made her way to Nanoha's office to seek permission on a certain subject.

She knocked on her door and it opened, revealing Nanoha at her desk finishing up some work.

"Ah, Tea!" Greeted Nanoha. "Please sit down." Tea did as she was told. "So, is there anything you want to talk to me about?"

"Eto, Nanoha-san, can I ask for your permission to not train under you for a few days?" asked Tea.

"Why is that, Tea?"

"Well, you see I sort of pried open Vice's files and saw that he was once an ace like you." Tea started. "To be exact an ace sniper until a certain accident happened. But that's beside the point."

"Your point is?" Nanoha prodded.

"To put it simply, I would like Vice-kun to train me in sharp shooting. I think it would be a valuable asset in the near future."

Nanoha stopped typing for a while and gave the idea a thought. She then said, "Have you asked him yet?"

"Well, no not yet."

"Okay then. Follow me to the hangar."

**

* * *

**

"You want me to what?!" He screamed, a little bewildered.

"I want you to train her for a few days in the area of sharp-shooting. You are better at that than I." Explained Nanoha.

Vice looked at Tea and then back to Nanoha. "She talked you in to this, didn't she?"

"No." Nanoha lied. "Vice, everyone makes mistakes. You need to put the past behind." She continued. "All I ask is for you to train her in accuracy. I didn't really touch on that. So I was hoping you would."

Vice ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry okay but I can't…" he was about to say that he can't train Tea when he saw the hurt look on her face. _Oh man. I'm going to regret this._

"Alright, fine! I'll train her. But only for a few days." He gave in.

Nanoha smiled at him and thanked him. She said that she will need a progress report after every training session. Then, she left.

Tea was looking down at her feet while fiddling with her fingers, lost for words. Vice looked at her and sighed. _Why me?_

"Tea, why do you want me to train you?" he began.

"I just wanted to learn something new, that's all." She stated. "Is it wrong?"

"Eh? No, I didn't say it was. It's just that… you trust me that much already? Even after i told you what happened in the past?" he asked.

"That doesn't matter to me. Like Nanoha-san said, everyone makes mistakes." Tea answered. She then looked up at him. Her eyes burning with the desire to be taught by another ace, other than Nanoha.

"Fine. You want to start now?"

Tea nodded. "Wait here. Let me get my gun."

He then returned with a gun in hand, similar to that of Tea's.

"Set Cross Mirage up and we'll start outside at the shooting range."

She did as she was told and so her training began. At first it was just some practice shots without any speed involved. Soon, the pace picked up. Vice stood in one corner observing her every move while making mental notes of her mistakes. Fifteen minutes later, it ended. She got most of her target down but some escaped without a scratch.

"Tea," he began while walking up to her. "Speed wise, you're already very good. But accuracy wise, quite off."

"Your stance is wrong as well. Your body should be up straight and not bent. Also, your gun has to be in front of your face all the time, about the same level as your nose." While explaining to her, he held her hand to the proper position and put his other hand behind her back to make her stand straight.

She gasped at the contact. Vice took no notice of this because he was explaining to her everything bit by bit in detail. She blushed lightly.

"… you understand?" ended Vice. Only when he ended his explanation did he realize that he was holding her a little bit too long then intended. He looked at her and then noticed how close their faces were to each other. He blushed and let her go. He then cleared his throat and said, "Here, let me show you what I mean."

He reset the entire shooting range and started at a slow pace, shooting the droids one by one. Soon, the pace got faster. Much faster than that of Tea's. He finished shooting every single target in a mere two minutes. Tea was amazed at his performance. For someone who hasn't been shooting for a long time, he did it like he did it everyday.

"How did you do that?!" asked a very bewildered and amazed Tea.

All he did was gave her a charming smile.

"Like I said before, it's all in the stance and how you hold your gun."

Author: Yes! Second chapter done! I hope you like it! Some of the scenes were based on my own personal experience which I find very memorable.


	3. A little too far

Author: I only have one review but that's not going to stop me from adding in more chapters.

**Blitz12**: Thank you very much for your review. It is very much appreciated! The idea of having a ViceXTea pairing is very appealing to me.

On with the third chapter!

* * *

"Vice, how long am I supposed to hold up this position?" asked a very strained Tea. Her arms and back were aching. She had to hold up Cross Mirage in a way that it was aligned with her nose and her back had to be straight. She held that position for over an hour already.

"Five more minutes and you're done." Said Vice while sitting on a portable foldable chair while sipping tea.

"You said five minutes, five minutes ago!" she hollered staring at him.

Vice smiled and continued sipping his tea. "This time, I really mean five more minutes okay. I promise."

Tea sighed deeply._ Maybe asking him for help was a mistake._

True enough, five minutes later, he told Tea to stop whatever she was doing. She plopped to the ground like a rag doll, putting her hand over her head and Cross Mirage returned to it's card like form. Then, she crawled over to Vice with whatever strength she had left and collapsed at his feet face first. She fell asleep.

"Now, what I did to you was nothing compared to…" He stopped short when he heard her snore._ Eh? She fell asleep? Maybe I went a little bit too far. After all, it is her first training with me_ He set down his paper cup to the ground and proceeded to turn her around so it would be easier to carry her. He carried her up bridal style and exited the shooting range.

While walking towards the trainee building, he chanced upon Nanoha. Nanoha was shocked to see Vice carrying Tea in his arms. Her mind then started to race. "What happened? Did she get hurt?"

"No. I suppose I went a little bit too far for her first training."

"What do you mean went a bit too far?"

"For every shot that she missed, I made her do push 20 push ups."

Nanoha tilted her head to one side. "How many did she miss?"

"She missed five. So, that made a grand total of 100 push ups. Also, I made her run three kilometers and made her stand in the shooting position for an hour."

Nanoha's eyes bulged out. "So much for going a bit too far! You practically went over board!"

Vice sighed. "Yes I know. But this is to build up her endurance. Anyway, you as well as I know that she is a tough cookie."

Nanoha nodded in understanding and sighed a long sigh. "Alright, fine. But just make sure she gets enough rest." Vice nodded and left Nanoha to ponder on what might happen in the next few days.

He entered the building and searched for Tea's name on the trainee board and found her room number and headed for her dorm. While walking, Tea shifted and buried her face in his chest and fisted his jacket. She was mumbling something incoherent which to him sounded like, 'don't leave me'. He didn't know what to make of it so pushed it aside thinking that he was getting tired as well.

When he reached her dorm, he saw Subaru, Caro and Erio sitting on the floor playing 'go fish'. They were so engrossed in the game that he had to clear his throat three times to get their attention. When he finally got their attention, they dropped their cards and crowded around him, attacking him with so many questions. He just kept silent and headed to the bottom bunk and attempted to put Tea down. However, he couldn't. He did manage to put her bottom half down but the sleeping Tea wouldn't let him go.

Suddenly, she started crying when he attempted to pry her hands away from him. Vice was taken aback at that. "Subaru, what do I do? She won't let go!"

"I think she's having a nightmare about her brother again. Well, if this happens and she won't let go, I just sleep with her." Subaru explained.

"But I can't sleep with her! She'd murder me!" Vice hissed.

"She nearly did that to me when she woke up." Subaru added blatantly.

"Try to force her hand away." Suggested Erio. Vice gave him the 'been there done that look'. Erio sweat-dropped.

"Why not try calming her down? Why not act as her brother and tell her that everything will be alright?" suggested Caro.

Vice glared at Caro. Does it look like I'm her brother? Well, there's no harm trying anyway. He bent down to her ear and whispered, "Hey, don't worry. I'll always be here for you. I won't leave you. I promise." After that, Tea stopped crying and slowly let Vice go. He sighed a sigh of relief when she finally let go. When he turned around, he saw three pair of eyes staring at him as if he was naked.

"What?" Vice asked.

"How come it only worked when you do it?" asked Subaru. "Because, when I tried that, all she did was cry some more."

Vice didn't know what else to say. So, he changed the subject. "When she wakes up, tell her that tomorrow's training will begin at 1500 hours at the shooting range." After that, he left the room as quickly as he could without waiting for a response from Subaru.

"Do you think he likes her?" asked Caro.

"Who knows?" replied Erio and Subaru together.

**

* * *

**

Vice was in the hangar at his table filling in the report file that he was supposed to send to Nanoha the following day.

**Vice POV**

I can't help thinking about what Subaru said to me. How come when she said it to Tea, she wouldn't stop crying and won't let go? But when I said it to her, she stopped crying and she did let go? And why am I blushing just thinking about it?!

"You like her." Interjected Stormraider.

"I told you before, I don't like her." He answered.

"Are you sure, my partner?" said Stormraider .

"I don't know. We shall wait and see."

**Normal POV**

Tea woke up at about 1030 hours to find herself back in her room. Subaru was already asleep. She stood up wondering how she got to her bed. She saw a bright pink note on the table with Subaru's handwriting which said : Training with Vice will resume tomorrow at 3 pm at the shooting range.

She was now on her way to the hangar. She didn't know why she was heading to the hangar but she just had the urge to see Vice. She was in a shorts, a plain white shirt and also in flip-flops. When she reached the hangar, she called, "Vice? You in here?"

"Yea. I am. I'm in the corner where its lit up." He answered.

Tea walked over to that little corner on her left and stood in front of him. When Vice looked up to see who it was that's visiting, he nearly toppled over from his chair. Luckily, he managed to grab the end of the table just in time. He regained his posture and looked up again to see a giggling Tea.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" he asked.

"I know but I just couldn't sleep. I thought of grabbing a little snack from the canteen but instead I found myself here." She replied. "What are you doing?"

"Me? I'm just finishing up your progress report for the day." After he said that, he sent the report over to Nanoha and paid attention to Tea.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be here but, I suppose I just wanted to thank you for carrying me to my dorm. It was very nice of you to do that." She said with a smile.

"No problem." He stated. He then frowned. He remembered that he wanted to ask her something. "Tell me something. Do you always have nightmares about your brother?"

Tea stiffened at the question. She didn't want to tell him the truth but after what he told her earlier in the day, it just doesn't seem fair if she kept it to herself. So, she told him everything about her relationship with her and her brother until that one day when she lost him.

"I'm sorry Tea. I had no idea…" Vice apologized.

Tea was on the verge of tears. Vice then gestured to her to sit next to him on the extra chair. She hesitated a little but took up the offer. "No matter what Tea, I'm sure that your brother wouldn't want to see you sad all the time. I'm sure he would want you to move on with your life and not dwell on the past."

Then, Tea burst into tears. Her face was buried in her hands. Vice didn't know what to say. He thought that it would be best if she let her tears fall from her eyes. He took her in his arms and allowed her to cry on him. He stroked her hair gently while whispering soothing words to her. Soon, both of them fell asleep. Vice still holding on to her with his chin resting on her head and Tea, sleeping on the crook of his neck.

Author: aww! Isn't that the sweetest thing! Oh man… I wish I had a friend like vice. He's so caring! Now I really wished he was real! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review and tell me what you think of it. The next chapter will be up soon!


	4. Chances

Author: After skimming through my story books that I have at home and have not read for a very (to the power of ten times) long time, I have been inspired to write another chapter to this! Hoho! In here, there's a little bit of action! Lets go!

**Blitz12:** I nailed his character? **Thank you!**

* * *

It was only 0500 hours the next morning when the red alert alarm went off. Tea and Vice were abruptly awakened. Tea wasted no time in getting to the entrance of the section six's headquarters. She darted off like a bullet leaving behind a trail of dust and Vice to get Stormraider ready in case they are needed. Soon, she reached HQ and caught sight of her teammates. "Captain! Teanna Lanstar reporting for duty!" she greeted. The others were like her as well, still in their pajamas.

"Tea, good timing. We have trouble in district 13." Nanoha began. "Five very dangerous mages just escaped from jail. They are now fugitives. For now, set up your barrier jackets. Vita will explain the details later in the helicopter."

All of them transformed into their barrier jackets while Stormraider arrived. While getting on board, Vita gave them a briefing on the current situation. "Three of the fugitives are of double S rank. Xita Amana, Raul Escadaria and Chimera Kandia." She began. "The other two are of an unknown rank. It may be higher than us captains. They are known as Escarda and Mia."

"Tea, I want you and Caro to work together to deceive them. Illusionary magic is our best chance against them. Subaru and Erio, you will their offence. Should anything go wrong, protect them at all cost. Nanoha, Fate and I will be in the skies."

All of them nodded in understanding. Suddenly, Vita said something that nobody expected her to say. "Vice, I want you go with Tea. I know about your past. If you want to amend for your mistake, protect Tea with your life."

Vice was startled by what Vita had just said. She's giving him a chance to prove his worth. He put the controls to auto pilot and headed to the back. "You want me to protect Tea? I'm not sure if I could." He confessed.

"Anyone who has the heart to train another even when they know they have done a mistake, is worth giving another chance. Besides, I saw how you tried to calm her down in the hangar." Stated Nanoha with a smile. Vice and Tea blushed deep crimson. _Nanoha-chan had been watching all this time?_ Mused Tea.

Vice looked at Tea as if asking her permission to let him protect her. Tea looked back at him. She nodded, granting him the permission to do so. "We are approaching destination. ETA: two minutes." Whirred Stormraider. All of them were psyched up. Then, Fate came up to him and presented to him a device. "Vice-san, this is your device Storm Mirage."

He stared at Fate in disbelief. Ever since the accident, Stormraider was to be disassembled. However the commissioner made the sentence lighter when investigations went further and found out that at the point when he pulled the trigger, the child shifted, so there was no way he could have missed the child. That was when Stormraider was modified into a helicopter and he became the pilot.

Vice took the device and stared at it in awe. It looked just like Cross Mirage only that it was blue in colour. He looked at Fate again. She nodded. Vice smiled at her and with renewed determination said, "Storm Mirage, set up!"

Storm Mirage then changed form into a revolver. Vice's barrier jacket was similar to that Tea's. Everyone stared at him in awe. He too was amazed at his appearance. "We have arrived at our designated destination." Whirred Stormraider.

"All right everybody, be careful and take care of one another alright?" cautioned Nanoha.

"Hai!" the forwards and Vice chorused.

They got off the helicopter and went their separate ways. "Hey, Vice-san! Welcome to the team!" said Subaru. "Thank you." He said. They scouted ahead into buildings until they reached an abandoned building where they saw the fugitives. The fugitives just stood there waiting for something to happen.

"We have a visual on the fugitives. Commence with the plan?" asked Tea.

"Carry on." Answered Vita.

The forwards and Vice all looked at one another and nodded their head. Tea and Caro started to do their illusionary magic which caught the fugitives by surprise. They then started attacking the illusionary clones of the forwards and Vice.

"Raul! They are illusions! Where's the real ones?!" exclaimed Xita.

"I can't get a lock on them! They seem to be cloaked by some barrier." Said Raul. "Chimera, can you get a visual on them?"

"No, I can't. The clones all seem real to my sensors." Replied Chimera.

Escarda and Mia appeared from the shadows.

"Keep trying to find them. We will head into the skies. We'll take care of the three that are there." Said Mia. Raul, Xita and Chimera nodded.

Mia and Escarda melted into the shadows and headed of into the skies where they confronted Vita, Fate and Nanoha.

"We're never going back to that dreadful place again you hear!"

The battle began.

* * *

"No! They are summoning some droids and bug like things to come and find us!" exclaimed Caro.

Erio and Subaru then went out of hiding and exposed themselves to their enemies.

"There!" exclaimed Xita, pointing to Erio and Subaru.

"Gotcha!" said Chimera. His gun was pointed at Erio. Vice noticed that he was going to shoot. He aimed Chimera and then exclaimed, "Barrage Shoot!" a series of shots was fired at Chimera. Chimera was too focused on shooting Erio that he didn't realize the shots being fired. He got hit and went unconscious.

"Chimera!" exclaimed Xita. She gritted her teeth. "I have a lock on where the shot came from! It's behind the building directly in front of us on the first floor!" Raul said.

Xita smiled smugly. "Perfect. Now, let me see who's behind there." She summoned a portal that could allow her to see who the attackers. Not only that. The portal could also allow her to see what is in the contents of their hearts. Her eyebrows were raised when she saw the person who attacked Chimera and also the creators of the illusions. "Oh my. Looks like that man in white has feelings for that little orange-haired girl." Xita said to no one in particular. "But he's denying it. Let's see if you would when I take her away from you!"

Vice, Tea and Caro had no idea what was going to happen. They just stayed hidden, unaware of what Xita was about to do.

"Tea, Caro. You're doing great. Keep it up." Vice encouraged them on.

Suddenly, Tea screamed. Caro lost her concentration and the illusions disappeared.

"Tea!" she screamed.

"Vice! Caro! Help!"

Vice tried to tackle her down before she disappeared but he was too late. Erio and Subaru were still battling the summoned droids and bugs when they heard Tea screamed and were caught off guard. They were hit hard by the droids and went unconscious.

Tea was transported to the other building to where Xita and Raul were. Tea was struggling against the binds that was put around her. But the harder she struggled, the tighter the binds went. Tea floated over to Xita and Raul.

"She's a pretty little thing." Stated Raul while stroking Tea's cheek. Tea winced at his touch. "Yes, she is. Guess what? She's filling up the space of the heart to that guy who shot Chimera." Xita said, tightening the binds on Tea.

"AH!" Tea screamed in pain as the binds squeezed the life out of her. "Vice! Help!" she screamed before she went out cold.

Vice just stared unmoving. He didn't know what to do. He was afraid that if he shoot, he might hit Tea. He contacted Nanoha to see if she had any suggestions.

"Nanoha! Tea – she's been captured!"

"What? Vice, shoot them down!" ordered Nanoha.

"But I can't! I'll hit Tea!"

"No you won't! She trusts you Vice! Do you want that trust to go down the drain?"

At that moment he snapped back to his senses. Nanoha's right. If I don't do this, I can never forgive myself. "Caro, cover me. Ready? Storm Mirage?"

"Yes, my partner." Replied Storm Mirage.

"Engage, mode two! Sniper rifle!"

Storm Mirage changed form into a rifle. Vice got to his tummy and elbows and took aim. "Engage double aim."

"Double aim, engaged."

Two targets were targeted. Raul and Xita were locked on. Tea, hang in there. I'm coming. "Particle Blast!"

"Xita, he's shooting!" Raul stated, pointing at Vice.

"Don't worry. I know what to do." Said Xita.

"Shoot!" Vice pulled the trigger and a blue stream of laser broke into two.

Just when he pulled the trigger, Xita pulled Tea in front of her.

Vice's eyes widened. Suddenly, the laser changed direction. Instead of hitting Tea, it hit Xita. The second laser hit Raul square in the gut. Both of them fell unconscious. Vice was relieved. He thanked Storm Mirage. The binds on Tea disappeared and she fell to the ground. Vice and Caro went out of hiding. They contacted Nanoha to tell her that mission was completed on their side. Nanoha answered back, saying that Escarda and Mia were captured as well.

**

* * *

**

Vice stood outside Tea's ward, debating with himself if he should enter. Just then the door opened, revealing Subaru, Caro and Erio.

"Vice-kun!" greeted Caro.

Vice smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Vice-san. You saved Tea!" chimed Erio.

"Yea! Thanks for saving my partner." Stated Subaru.

"No, it's nothing really. I just did what I had to do." He replied. "So, how is she?"

"Why don't you go inside and see for yourself?" Caro suggested.

"Yea. I mean, I'm sure she would want to thank you." Said Subaru.

Vice, hung his head for a while and looked up again. He nodded and waved to them. The trio left him alone to be with Tea.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked walking towards her bed.

Tea smiled weakly at him. "I'm fine."

Vice sat down on the chair that was next to her bed and put his device next to Cross Mirage on the bedside table. When he put it down, Cross Mirage reacted. It was as if it was thanking Storm Mirage for saving her master. Tea and Vice smiled. He looked at her smiling. Tea felt eyes on her. When she turned to him, he saw him smiling to himself. When their eyes locked, they both blushed and looked away.

"Ano, thank you, Vice-kun. For saving my life." She said, in a volume that was enough for vice to hear.

"No problem. I was just doing my job."

They stayed silent the rest of the time together. That was until Storm Mirage said, "Master, why don't you tell her?"

Vice stiffened at Storm Mirage's suggestion. _Oh no. No. Not now, not yet._

"Tell me what?" enquired Tea.

Vice looked at her wide eyed. "I have no idea what he's talking about."

"Master, tell her." Storm Mirage said again. By now, Vice was blushing madly. His face was the colour of the reddest rose. Tea put her hand on his thigh. At the contact, he stopped flustering. "Tell me what?" she repeated again.

He sighed. "I suppose I can't hide this forever." He took her hand that was on his thigh into his and braced himself for what he was about to say. "Ever since the first time I met you, I thought there was something special about you. And I suppose I was right. You made me have butterflies in my tummy every time I saw you but I acted as if nothing was going on."

Tea was listening intently to him while a blush was creeping on her face.

"I wished I had met you sooner. Because when you entered my life, I felt like I could do anything. And I suppose that was proven today."

"Your point is?" Tea cut in slowly.

"I think…I think I've fallen for you Tea. Quite badly I might add."

Tea felt her heart flutter at his last sentence. _He loves me!_ "Vice-kun, I don't know what to say. But I do know what to do."

Tea, leaned forward from her inclined bed. Vice stayed put, afraid that if he moved, it would spoil the mood. Then, their lips met. Vice and Tea closed their eyes slowly savouring every moment of it. The kiss was slow but full of unspoken emotions. Vice's free hand cupped Tea's face. Tea's free hand fisted his jacket.

Just then the door opened. They were too caught up in their kiss to realize that Fate, Nanoha and Vita were at the door. The captains and sub-captain were surprised to see both of them in that position but decided that it's best to leave them alone.

"You think they'll be okay?" asked Vita.

Nanoha and Fate both nodded their heads. The three of them left the ward.

Vice and Tea broke their sweet kiss and looked at each other.

"I love you, Tea." Whispered Vice. Tea smiled widely and kissed him again. _Vice, I wished I had met you sooner too._

* * *

Author: HAAA!!! The end!! Oh my god… four chapters just seemed too short… but hey, they confessed! I love!! Maybe I'd do a sequel for this… well, I hope you enjoyed this story.. 


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